


Bad Chicken

by Baroness_Blixen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fluff, life in the unremarkable house, mulder baby 2.0, there is no angst here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 17:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14313846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baroness_Blixen/pseuds/Baroness_Blixen
Summary: Just an average day in the Mulder household.





	Bad Chicken

Life with a two year old might be the most difficult, infuriating challenge Mulder has ever faced. And he’s facing her now, the tiny whirlwind, their biggest surprise; his and Scully’s. She grins up at him showing him a few baby teeth. Making him forget that he should be angry with her.

“Do not move.” Mulder says. He is serious. So very serious. His daughter, covered in Scully’s expensive body lotion from head to toe, giggles and doesn’t believe his words or his voice. She might only be two, but she knows he’s the pushover. She runs a sticky hand over her face and makes a surprised noise. Mulder decides this is his moment; he lunges forward, ready to pick up the little girl and carry her into the bathroom. Right before he can grab her, she turns to him and starts running away.

She is laughing as her tiny feet clomp over the old wooden floors in their house. Mulder follows her and feels out of breath. She’s two years old, he reminds himself, and he’s panting. Before she can enter his and Scully’s bedroom, he catches her. She squeals as he lifts her up. 

“No more running away, young lady.” She giggles and hides her face against his shoulder. So much for his clean shirt. 

“Oh oh, daddy." 

"What is it, Katie?” He stops halfway to the bathroom and searches her face. The body lotion is everywhere on her face, her clothes and in her hair. She smells like a field of strawberries. Katie looks up at him and her bottom lip starts to quiver. Her eyes fill with tears and Mulder wonders if he’s been too harsh, if he should have handled this differently. But before he can take any of it back, before he can say anything at all, his daughter opens her mouth and throws up on him.

“Oh oh.” She says and giggles once. Then, as if someone flips a switch, her face falls and she stars wailing. Mulder wants to join in, but he doesn’t. He’s the adult here. So instead he holds her closer in spite of the body lotion, in spite of the spit up on his shoulder. He carries her into the bathroom and sets her down. He keeps one arm around the crying toddler as he uses the other one to lean over the bathtub to let water in.

“It’s all right, Katie baby.” He whispers into her body lotion caked hair and ends up with a dab of it on his nose. Katie sees it and starts giggling. She touches his nose and glances at her finger for a moment before she offers it to Mulder. 

“Yummy.” She says and Mulder understands; she’s not only slathered herself with her mother’s favorite lotion, she’s also had a taste of it. 

“Katie, we talked about this. Mommy’s body lotion isn’t food. It isn’t yummy.” Katie pouts and brings her finger to her mouth. Mulder stops her just in time. 

“Spawbebby.”

“It’s not really strawberry, honey. It’s just so it smells nice. It makes mommy smell nice, doesn’t it?” His daughter nods. Mulder turns off the water and tests the temperature. He peels Katie out of her clothes and considers just throwing them away. She will grow out of them soon anyway. She is growing like a weed. Or a flower, he thinks as he carefully puts her in the tub. She splashes the water soaking Mulder’s shirt. But that’s ruined anyway. Another splash hits him in the face and Katie squeals.

“We need to watch the lotion off, kiddo.”

“Smell nice.” She repeats his words and he nods as he reaches for the baby shampoo. Scully picked it because it smells like strawberries. Their daughter’s favorite smell, taste and color. He smiles as the the familiar scent hits his nose. Katie sighs, sits still for once. It occurs to Mulder that he probably should have called work. He’s going to be so late. His new boss isn’t like Skinner, rolling his eyes, but nodding along. Luckily he isn’t like Kersh either, dismissing his every move. But he’s ambitious. He wants things done. And right away. Mulder being late – again – won’t look good. As if on cue, his cell phone buzzes in his pants. He keeps his eyes on Katie while he takes it out of his pocket.

“Mulder.”

“Hi, it’s me.”

“Scully?”

“Mommy, mommy, mommy.” Katie chants from the bathtub.

“Are you still at home? Is that Katie?”

“Yes and yes. We had a little incident.”

“Do I want to know?”

“No.” He thinks of her body lotion. She loves that body lotion. He doesn’t understand how it’s different than any other except that it smells fruity and fresh. Better not mention that she needs to buy a new tube. Again. “Why are you calling? Is everything all right?” Some habits die hard and this particular one never will. While partners in everything that matters, they no longer work together. Scully’s decision to leave the FBI for good came before Katie, although not by much. He misses her there, sometimes. Walking the halls that haven’t changed in the last 30 years. All that’s changed are the pictures on the wall. He slows every time he passes Skinner. That won’t change either, not as long as he works there.

“I wasn’t feeling well, so they sent me home again.” Mulder puts a hand on Katie’s shoulder. His daughter turns to look at him, blinking slowly.

“You’re sick?” The words catch in his throat. His eyes are on Katie, who is grinning at him, oblivious to his discomfort, his fear. Scully is a healthy woman. She gets regular check-ups and there’s never been any indication that her cancer might return. That she’s sick in any way or form. But. He knows how quickly life can turn around and hit you in the face.

“Mulder,” she takes a deep breath, chuckles, “I’m fine. It was the chicken.”

“Chicken?” Katie’s mouth opens as if she has to say something about chicken as well.

“It tasted funny last night, but I thought it was still edible. I was wrong. I called to ask you if Katie showed any symptoms this morning, but considering you’re in the bathroom with her, I think I’ve got my answer.”

“It was the chicken and not the…” He trails off.

“Not the what? Mulder?”

“Doesn’t matter, Scully. Just get yourself home. I guess I’ll call in sick.”

“But you’re not sick.”

“Scully.” He whines and Katie laughs at him. He makes a funny face and she splashes more water on him. He is never going to make it to work anyway. “I can’t go to work when my family is home sick.” Scully remains quiet; he is playing hooky and they both know it.

“Fine,” she says and Mulder silently cheers, holding his hand up so that Katie can give him a baby high five, “I’ll be home soon.”

“All right kiddo,” Mulder says to Katie, “we’ve got to make you look presentable again.”

After her bath, Mulder dresses Katie in her favorite pajamas. They were a gift from Jackson. The garment is adorned with tiny foxes in a variety of colors. Pink, blue, green, orange and red. ‘It’s so unrealistic’, he mumbled to Scully when Jackson handed it to his baby sister and she squealed in delight each time she pointed to a new fox. Mulder runs his hand through the fine strands of auburn hair trying to tame them as best as he can. They curl at the end and Katie starts fidgeting. Her eyes are pleading with him to be done so she can wander off and play. He lets her and watches her sprint into the living room. He calls work, calls kindergarten and sighs deeply. A regular Tuesday with a two year old. What a life.

Mulder passes Jackson’s room and sees that the door is ajar. He moves to close it when he glimpses inside and sees his son sprawled on his bed. Apparently he’s not the only one playing hooky today. Mulder steps inside and gently touches the young man’s shoulder. He hears a grumble, but Jackson doesn’t wake up. Mulder can’t help but grin. Their son moved in shortly after Katie was born. At first under the disguise of wanting to be close to his new sister. Neither Mulder nor Scully complained. For the first time in forever their family was complete, their life more of a fairy tale than a nightmare.

“Hey, time to get up.” Jackson isn’t one to oversleep; he is very much like Scully in that respect. He takes his education seriously, is determined to follow his mother’s footsteps and study medicine. Not today, though, as it seems.

“Five more minutes?”

“Did you eat the chicken too?” Mulder asks sitting at the edge of the bed. Jackson might be an adult, but to him and Scully he’s just their son, their boy. There are so many things they never got to experience with him. He is thankful for every moment he is here in their house, in their lives.

“Chicken?” Jackson turns around and blinks at Mulder through tired eyes. “What chicken?”

“Your mother and Katie had bad chicken. They’re both sick.”

“Hm, no. I didn’t have the chicken,” he yawns and stretches, “What time is it?”

“Shortly after 9 am.”

“Fuck.”

“Jackson…”

“Katie isn’t even in the room.” He rolls his eyes, runs his fingers through his hair making it stick up even worse. “Sorry.” He adds after a moment. “Wait, why are you still home?”

“Playing hooky today.” No use in lying to his son.

“I heard Dana throw up this morning and got up to check on her,” Jackson says, “I told her not to go to work, but she said she was fine.” Mulder nods, smiles at his son. “I went back to bed and I guess I forgot to set my alarm. I’m going to miss my lecture.” Jackson glances at him, seems to wait for him to say something. Mulder knows he shouldn’t. But it’s one lecture, it’s one day. Their son is smart; too smart even.

“You don’t need my permission to stay home.”

“I know that.” Another eye roll. “Do you think Dana would…”

“I know for a fact that even Dana Scully has played hooky once or twice in her life. There’s a place for you on the family couch today in case you think you might have caught the chicken bug too.” Mulder winks at his son before he leaves to check up on Katie in the living room.

“Mommy, mommy, mommy.” He says to him when she sees him and Mulder is surprised that Scully is there already, too, on the floor with their daughter. He crouches down, his knees protesting, and tilts his head.

“Hey you.”

“Hey yourself.” Scully says with a small smile.

“Is it safe to kiss you?” Mulder asks.

“Kiss, kiss, kiss!” Katie cheers him on, clapping her hands. Scully peppers their daughter’s head with kisses and the girl laughs loudly and kicks her legs. 

“You smell like strawberries, baby.” Scully throws him a look; she knows.

“I was getting dressed,” he defends himself, “I don’t know how she found that tube, Scully. I’ll buy you a new one.” She nods and runs her fingers through the girl’s hair. “I thought that’s why she was sick. I don’t know how much she ate of it. Maybe you should get one that tastes like broccoli, Scully.” Jackson chooses that moment to join them.

“Jack, Jack, Jack!” Katie holds up her arms and her big brother picks her up and whirls her through the air. Mulder just hopes she won’t be sick again.

“Why are you home?” Scully asks and Jackson looks at Mulder, then back at his mother.

“I uhm… I had the chicken?”

“But only Katie and I-” She trails off, makes the connection, “Looks like we’ve all got a bad case of the chicken.” She motions for Jackson to sit down on the couch and he does, Katie playing with his hair. He needs a haircut; somehow he is always in need of one. Mulder knows he can’t say anything; Jackson is grown p, makes his own decisions. But sometimes he wishes he could just drag him to a salon, sit him down and get him a decent hairdo.

“What should we watch?” The remote control is in Scully’s hand. She never watches TV and she glances at Jackson and Mulder. Jackson shrugs and tickles Katie who giggles. Mulder doesn’t care either. He’s having one of his moments. At least that’s what Scully and Jackson like to call them. He is happy. No, he is more than that. It feels like a dream, a good one. He’s sitting here with his wife and their children. There’s no drama, there are no monsters. He’s never been this thankful for bad chicken.

“How about that movie there?” Jackson points at a small picture. Mulder is not going to admit it looks blurry to him. Katie jumps up and down on the couch.

“Boss Baby?” Scully asks.

“I figured we’ve got one here,” Jackson ruffles Katie’s hair, “might as well learn something.” And that’s that. All four of them settle together on the couch with Katie crawling over Jackson’s lap to get in between her parents. Half the couch is empty as they huddle in one corner, sitting as close together as possible. It doesn’t take long for Katie to fall asleep. Mulder can tell by how heavy she feels against him and by her deep breathing. He chances a look at Scully who has one hand on Katie’s back. There’s a smile on her face as she watches the screen, but he doesn’t think she’s paying much attention. Just like Jackson next to him. His son, grown up or not, has nodded off as well. His head lands on Mulder’s shoulder as he sleeps on. He chuckles and Scully turns to him.

“You like the movie?”

“No idea,” he admits, “I’m just… I like this. Us, here. The kids asleep.” He chuckles again.

“I’m surprised I’m still awake.” Scully says and as if to make a point, yawns.

“So am I. You can sleep, you know. Seems like I’m the only one who got some decent sleep last night.”

“Hmmm.”

“Are you worried about your body lotion? I’ll buy you a new one. I promise. I will put it somewhere Katie can’t reach. I can’t believe she actually ate it.” He shakes his head, marvels at his tiny daughter. Do all two year olds eat body lotion? “Do you think we need to take her to a doctor?”

“Hm, no.” Scully yawns again. It won’t be long until he’s the only one awake.

“No?”

“No. It’s a handmade body lotion, Mulder. Why do you think it’s so expensive? It only has edible ingredients in it. It’s completely safe.”

“You bought edible body lotion?”

“You’re not supposed to eat it,” Scully explains with a sleepy sigh, “but it’s all right if you do. She’s your daughter, Mulder.”

“Huh?”

“I bought it because she’s like you: she eats everything.” Mulder wants to say something, defend his honor. There’s no use; they both know it’s true. He looks down at his sleeping daughter. Edible body lotion, who would have thought. Jackson moves against him, cuddles closer. He never thought he’d get to experience this. When he turns to Scully again, to tell her what he’s feeling and how much he loves her, her eyes are closed, her breathing even. He closes his eyes, too, content in knowing that he can tell her later.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr.


End file.
